While AMD Radeon R9 285 based on the Tonga Pro GPU has been around for a while, the fully enabled Tonga XT GPU is still nowhere to be found. Thanks to PC Watch, we now at least have some idea on what to expect if the GPU ever comes out and it appears that our sources was spot on back when we reported that it packs 2048 Stream Processors as well as wider 384-bit memory interface.

Back when Radeon R9 285 was launched it had a rather large die size and transistor count which, was quite strange given its level of performance in the R9 285, but it appears that the GPU indeed packs a 384-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, despite the fact that the Tonga Pro was limited to 256-bit one. Spotted by Techpowerup and originally posted by PC Watch, the diagram of the Tonga GPU shows that the 28nm Tonga GPU features 2048 Graphics CoreNext 1.2 Stream Processors. The rest of the specifications are still a bit blurry but the GPU should also pack 128 TMUs and either 32 or 48 ROPs.

Unfortunately, there is still no word on the Radeon R9 285X, which was originally meant to be based on the Tonga XT GPU and currently our sources are saying that AMD is pretty silent about that particular graphics card. At this point it appears to be delayed or even cancelled, but this is not something we can confirm. Nvidia definitely caught AMD off guard with GTX 970 and GTX 980 GM204 based Maxwell graphics cards but we are quite sure that AMD is preparing something to counter Nvidia's power efficient flagship, so we will keep a closer eye on it.

According to sources who wish to remain unnamed, we should see an AMD Tonga XT-based graphics card launched sometime in September.

Our sources report that AMD is indeed planning to introduce an XT version of the Tonga GPU which will not only have a higher Stream Processor count, most likely 2048, but also come with a wider 384-bit memory interface. While no names were mentioned, we would not be surprised to see the R9 285X in September. The Radeon R9 285 is coming a few week ahead of the R9 285X and we should see it by the end of August.

The most surprising piece of information is the wider memory interface, which means that the R9 285X will pack 3GB of GDDR5 memory.

Our sources suggested that some AMD AIB partners already have samples of the new card and are tweaking clocks and designs.

The new Tonga XT-based graphics card should end up faster than both the Tahiti XT-based R9 280X and the GTX 770 while drawing less power, which suggests that this should be a very good piece of hardware in terms of performance per watt.

Of course, as with all early rumors, these should be taken with a grain of salt and AMD can certainly tweak some things before the launch but these information is what we have are hearing now. We will certainly keep our ear close to the ground as we are bound to have more info as we draw closer to the launch date.

A fresh report suggest that we might see a first AMD Tonga GPU as soon as late August or early September and the first graphics card with the new GPU should be the Radeon R9 285.

The newest report coming from SweClockers confirms that AMD has finally decided on the name of the upcoming Tonga GPU based graphics card and it should launch as the Radeon R9 285. The report notes that the GPU behind the Radeon R9 285 will be the Tonga PRO, which also suggests that we might see a Tonga XT GPU at a later date, most likely as base for the Radeon R9 285X.

In case you missed the earlier report, Tonga GPU is pretty much the same GPU as the venerable Tahiti since it packs the same amount of stream processors, but will feature a narrower memory interface so the Radeon R9 285 should pack 1792 Stream Processors and 2GB of GDDR5 memory paired up with a 256-bit memory interface. Of course, AMD AIB partners will most likely launch R9 285 graphics card with 4GB of memory as well. According to previous reports, Tonga GPU based graphics cards should eventually completely replace the Tahiti-based ones.

Our sources confirm that the name of upcoming Tonga PRO based graphics cards is pretty much carved in stone, although the boxes have not been printed yet. Graphics cards based on the Tonga GPU are being manufactured as we speak.

Unfortunately, the report from Sweclocker or our sources can not confirm the precise date of the launch or the final price but we will surely keep an eye out for more information.